Eleven people have been indicted on federal charges for importing and trafficking methamphetamine throughout southeast Georgia.
The 17-count, 20-page indictment returned by a federal grand jury charges the defendants in a longstanding conspiracy to import and distribute methamphetamine, a deadly and highly addictive stimulant, in Laurens, Ware, Telfair, Dodge, Bacon and Coffee counties, said Southern District United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine. Multiple firearms were seized during the operation, and several of the defendants are charged with possession of a firearm while trafficking drugs.
Charged in the federal indictment are:
- Enio Camacho-Pineda (31, Atlanta Area) a/k/a “Tony,” a/k/a “Tony Montana”;
- Ricardo Santana-Hernandez, (31, Mexico) a/k/a “Richard Hernandez,” a/k/a “Armond,” a/k/a “Armani”;
- Donna Bazemore, (45, McRae, Georgia); a/k/a “Donna Spivey,”, a/k/a “Dirty D”;
- Enrique Lopez, (44, Douglas, Georgia) a/k/a “Ricky”;
- Eugene Wright, (52, Millwood, Georgia) a/k/a “Burt”;
- Cristian Jesus Martinez, (19, Mexico);
- Angela Hurst, (38, Douglas, Georgia);
- Kristel Merritt, (43, Douglas, Georgia);
- Ryan Bland, (32, Jacksonville, Georgia);
- Angie McCoy, (24, Douglas, Georgia); a/k/a “Angie Woods”; and,
- Kenneth Woodrow Mancil, (53, Sylvania, Georgia)
With the exception of Wright, who is a fugitive, all of the defendants are under arrest and have been ordered detained until trial. Most of them have holds against them because they are facing deportation as illegal aliens, have pending state charges, and/or were on probation or parole at the time they committed the offenses. If convicted, all of the defendants face a statutory minimum punishment of 20 years to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This case is an outstanding example of local, state, and federal agencies working together to identify and dismantle a criminal organization,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “There is a growing threat that methamphetamine trafficking will increase as crackdowns succeed against illegal opioids, but our law enforcement and prosecutors will slam the prison door on those who would distribute this poison in our communities.”
ATF Resident Agent in Charge Tim Graden said, “ATF is proud of the relationships that we have with the community and all of our law enforcement partners. This investigation is another example of the success that we can accomplish by working together. Reducing violent crime is ATF’s goal, and taking armed drug traffickers off the street is one of many methods that ATF uses to accomplish our mission.
“The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has partnered with local and federal partners to cripple drug trafficking networks operating throughout the state,” said GBI Special Agent in Charge Jamie Jones. “This should be a wake-up call to the traffickers that they are not immune from detection just because they operate in rural areas.”
“We appreciate our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners whose combined efforts have resulted in the dismantling of a dangerous and far-reaching criminal drug trafficking network, seemingly intent on setting up shop in rural Telfair County,” said Sheriff Chris Steverson. “I am thankful for the support provided in this case by the GBI, ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and I look forward to similar operations in the future.”
Ware County Sheriff Randy Royal added, “I have always valued and appreciated the close-knit partnerships between our agency and our federal and state partners. The seamless takedown operation using Ware County Sheriff’s personnel, Georgia State Patrol, and federal agents was a true testament to what can be accomplished when all of law enforcement works together in the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation.”
A criminal indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case, which is a United States Department of Justice initiative designed to dismantle large drug trafficking organizations who operate in multiple jurisdictions. This case also falls under the United States Department of Justice initiative Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program designed to coordinate law enforcement and prosecutorial efforts in order to remove violent crime from communities. The case was investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and the Ware County and Coffee County sheriff’s offices, with assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Harper and Greg Gilluly.
For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.